Apparatus and method for carrying out a cleaning operation applied to the internal neck skin of slaughtered poultry

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for carrying out a cleaning operation applied to the internal neck skin of slaughtered poultry by removing the windpipe, gullet, glandular tissue or remainders thereof, comprising suspension devices for suspending the poultry by the legs, presser means, which during the cleaning operation press on at least a part of the poultry, and a rotatable bore organ to be inserted from the top into the poultry being suspended by the legs for carrying out the cleaning operation, wherein during the cleaning operation the presser means push the neck skin of the poultry toward the bore organ.

[0001] An apparatus and method for carrying out a cleaning operationapplied to the internal neck skin of slaughtered poultry

[0002] The invention relates to an apparatus for carrying out a cleaningoperation applied to the internal neck skin of slaughtered poultry byremoving the windpipe, gullet, glandular tissue or remainders thereof,comprising suspension devices for suspending the poultry by the legs,presser means, which during the cleaning operation press on at least apart of the poultry, and a rotatable bore organ to be inserted from thetop into the poultry being suspended by the legs for carrying out thecleaning operation.

[0003] Such an apparatus is known from the European patent applicationEP-A 0 162 154.

[0004] In the known apparatus, presser members engage the back of thepoultry suspended by the legs, such as to press it onto springy presserplates, simultaneously positioning the neck of the poultry verticallyunder the body of the poultry so that during the cleaning operation thebore organ can be inserted accurately through the positioned neck of thepoultry.

[0005] One drawback of the known apparatus is that under circumstancesthe cleaning operation applied to the internal neck skin of theslaughtered poultry is not completely effective so that remains of thewindpipe, gullet, or glandular tissue may be left behind. This appearsto be the case even if the apparatus as known from EP-A 0 162 154 isembodied with a bore organ as known from EP-B 0 516 888.

[0006] It is therefore the object of the invention to make the cleaningoperation more effective, that is to say to improve the scraping actionof the known bore organ, so that the poultry may be stripped morereliably of windpipe, gullet and other tissue that is to be removed.

[0007] To this end the apparatus according to the invention ischaracterized in that during the cleaning operation the presser meanspush the neck skin of the poultry toward the bore organ.

[0008] This measure effectively assists the scraping action of the boreorgan, so that its efficacy is improved.

[0009] It is preferred for the presser means during the cleaningoperation to push the poultry's neck skin on the breast side towards thebore organ. This assists in particular the effective removal of thewindpipe, which, due to the nature of the tissue of which the windpipeconsists, is usually difficult to remove by means of the bore organ.

[0010] A simple manner in which the presser means may be embodied, ischaracterized in that the presser means comprise a presser chock, whichduring the cleaning operation rests against the neck skin of the poultryat the breast side.

[0011] In another aspect of the invention, proper functioning of theapparatus may be ensured by embodying the presser chock such as to beadjustable in height.

[0012] This simply makes it possible at the beginning of the cleaningoperation to move the presser chock upwards until it reaches a positionwherein the pressure chock rests against the neck skin at the breastside of the poultry.

[0013] The measure with which the neck skin is pressed against the boreorgan is as such quite critical, since on the one hand the scrapingaction of the bore organ needs to be supported, while on the other handsaid scraping action must not result in the neck skin being torn.

[0014] An appropriate amount of pressure may be obtained if at thebeginning of the cleaning operation the presser chock is moved upwardsuntil the same reaches a position in which the presser chock supportsthe poultry, that is to say the presser chock slightly lifts the poultrywhile the same is suspended by the legs in the hooks.

[0015] The invention is also embodied in a method of carrying out thecleaning operation applied to the internal neck skin of slaughteredpoultry by removing the air pipe, gullet, glandular tissue or remainsthereof, the poultry being suspended by the legs and a presser meansbeing placed such as to act on a part of the poultry, while from the topa bore organ is inserted into the poultry suspended by the legs, forcarrying out the cleaning operation.

[0016] According to the invention, this method is characterized in thatduring the cleaning operation the presser means is placed such that itacts on the outside of the neck skin at the breast side of the poultry.

[0017] The invention will now be explained in more detail with referenceto the drawing of a non-limiting preferred exemplary embodiment.

[0018] The FIGS. 1 to 4 in the drawing show a number of successivesettings of an apparatus for carrying out a cleaning operation appliedto the internal neck skin of slaughtered poultry as proposed by theinvention.

[0019] Identical reference numbers used in the Figures refer to similarparts.

[0020] The apparatus 1 shown in the figures for carrying out a cleaningoperation applied to the internal neck skin of slaughtered poultry 2comprises a drum 4 and a central axis 3 pertaining to said drum 4. Alongthe drum 4 movable bore organs 5 are provided. One such bore organ 5 isshown in the FIGS. 1-4. To facilitate their activation, said bore organsare in their longitudinal direction movably mounted on rods, which arefastened to an upper plate 11 and a lower plate 12, rotatable about theaxis 3. The upper plate 11 may, for example, be driven by a chain suchthat the bore organs 5 are moved along the drum 4. The periphery of thedrum 4 is provided with a curve formed by a groove 13, which is beingtraced by a projection 14 that is part of the bore organ 5. In this waythe movement of the bore organ 5 along the drum 4 also results in thebore organ 5 making a movement in its longitudinal direction determinedby the curve of the groove 13, while at the same time a furthermechanism causes the bore organ 5 to rotate during said longitudinalmovement.

[0021] As further shown in the FIGS. 1-4, the poultry 2 is suspended bythe legs from suspension devices 6, for example, hooks.

[0022] While the poultry 2 is suspended by the legs 7 from the hooks,moving in correspondence with the movement of the bore organs 5 alongthe drum 4, the bore organ 5 is activated in the manner explained aboveas soon as the same moves from the top into the poultry 2 (see FIG. 1and FIG. 2, respectively), after which it moves such as to exit thepoultry 2 via a neck end 8.

[0023] The apparatus is further provided with presser means 9 in theform of a presser chock, which is placed from below, against the neckskin of the poultry 2 at the breast side. In this position, which isillustrated in FIG. 2, the presser chock 9 pushes the neck skin of thepoultry towards the bore organ 5 such as to enable the latter toeffectively scrape the inside of the neck skin of the poultry 2.

[0024] The embodiment shown, wherein the presser chock 9 pushes the neckskin at the breast side towards the bore organ 5, allows for aconsiderable tolerance with regard to any possible differences in sizeof the poultry 2 to be processed. Due to the presence of the presserchock 9 supporting the neck skin from the outside, the internal neckskin can be effectively cleaned when the neck opening 8 is very large,thereby also allowing difficult tissue to be removed. This relates inparticular to the windpipe.

[0025] The FIGS. 2 and 3 show that a small space remains between thebore organ 5 and the presser chock 9, between which the neck skin of thepoultry 2 can be accommodated so that the cleaning operation to becarried out with the bore organ 5 will not damage the neck skin.

[0026] The figures show that the bore organ 5 is disposed at a slightslant. The presser chock 9 has a work surface 10 that corresponds withthe slanting disposition of the bore organ 5. In an equally possiblecompletely perpendicular disposition of the bore organ 5, the worksurface 10 of the presser chock 9 should be disposed correspondinglyperpendicular.

[0027] The FIGS. 2 and 3 show the situation where at the beginning ofthe cleaning operation the presser chock 9 with the bore organ 5 ismoved upwards from the initial position shown in FIG. 1, until itassumes a position wherein the presser chock 9 rests against the neckskin at the breast side of the poultry, supporting the same.

[0028]FIG. 4 shows that the bore organ 5 has completed the cleaningoperation and is returning to the starting position as shown in FIG. 1.In that situation the presser chock 9 is also returned to the initialposition of FIG. 1, so that the poultry 2 is then again suspended fromthe hooks 6 by the legs 7 only.

1. An apparatus (1) for carrying out a cleaning operation applied to theinternal neck skin of slaughtered poultry by removing the windpipe,gullet, glandular tissue or remainders thereof, comprising suspensiondevices (6) for suspending the poultry by the legs (7), presser means,which during the cleaning operation press on at least a part of thepoultry (2), and a rotatable bore organ to be inserted from the top intothe poultry (2) being suspended by the legs for carrying out thecleaning operation, characterized in that during the cleaning operationthe presser means (9) push the neck skin of the poultry (2) toward thebore organ (5).
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized inthat the presser means (9) during the cleaning operation push thepoultry's neck skin on the breast side towards the bore organ.
 3. Anapparatus according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the pressermeans comprise a presser chock (9), which during the cleaning operationrests against the neck skin of the poultry (2) at the breast side.
 4. Anapparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the presser chockis adjustable in height.
 5. An apparatus according to claim 3 or 4,characterized in that at the beginning of the cleaning operation thepresser chock (9) moves upwards until it reaches a position wherein thepressure chock rests against the neck skin at the breast side of thepoultry.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that atthe beginning of the cleaning operation the presser chock is movedupwards until the same reaches a position in which the presser chocksupports the poultry (2).
 7. A method for carrying out a cleaningoperation applied to the internal neck skin of slaughtered poultry (2)by removing the windpipe, gullet, glandular tissue or remaindersthereof, wherein the poultry (2) is suspended by the legs (7), and apresser means (9) is provided to press on at least a part of the poultry(2), while a rotatable bore organ (5) is inserted from the top into thepoultry (2) being suspended by the legs (7) for carrying out thecleaning operation, characterized in that during the cleaning operationthe presser means (9) is placed such as to push against the externalneck skin of the poultry at the breast side.